Editing Faust (section)

===Goethe's ''Faust''===
{{main|Goethe's Faust}}
Another important version of the legend is the play ''[[Goethe's Faust|Faust]],'' written by the German author [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]. The [[Faust, Part One|First Part]], which is the one more closely connected to the earlier legend, was published in 1808, [[Faust, Part Two|the Second]] appeared posthumously in 1832.

Goethe's ''Faust'' complicates the simple Christian moral of the original legend. A hybrid between a play and an extended poem, Goethe's two-part "[[closet drama]]" is epic in scope. It gathers together references from Christian, medieval, [[ancient Rome|Roman]], eastern, and [[Ancient Greek literature|Hellenic]] poetry, philosophy, and literature.

The composition and refinement of Goethe's own version of the legend occupied him, off and on, for over sixty years. The final version, published after his death, is recognized as a great work of German literature.

The story concerns the fate of Faust in his quest for the true essence of life ("{{lang|de|was die Welt im Innersten zusammenhält}}"). Frustrated with learning and the limits to his knowledge, power, and enjoyment of life, he attracts the attention of the Devil (represented by Mephistopheles), who makes a bet with Faust that he will be able to satisfy him. Faust is reluctant, believing this will never happen. This is a significant difference between Goethe's "Faust" and Marlowe's; Faust is not the one who suggests the wager.

In the first part, Mephistopheles leads Faust through experiences that culminate in a lustful relationship with Gretchen, an innocent young woman. Gretchen and her family are destroyed by Mephistopheles' deceptions and Faust's desires. Part one of the story ends in tragedy for Faust, as Gretchen is saved but Faust is left to grieve in shame.

The second part begins with the spirits of the earth forgiving Faust (and the rest of mankind) and progresses into allegorical poetry. Faust and his Devil pass through and manipulate the world of politics and the world of the [[Greek god|classical gods]], and meet with [[Helen of Troy]] (the personification of beauty). Finally, in anticipation of having tamed the forces of war and nature and created a place for a free people to live, Faust is happy and dies.

Mephistopheles tries to seize Faust's soul when he dies after this moment of happiness, but is frustrated and enraged when angels intervene due to God's grace. Though this grace is 'gratuitous' and does not condone Faust's frequent errors with Mephistopheles, the angels state that this grace can only occur because of Faust's unending striving and due to the intercession of the forgiving Gretchen. The final scene has Faust's soul carried to Heaven in the presence of God by the intercession of the "Virgin, Mother, Queen, ... Goddess kind forever ... Eternal Womanhood".<ref>Goethe, ''Faust, Part Two'', lines 12101–12110, translation: [[David Luke]], Oxford World Classics, {{ISBN|978-0-19-953620-7}}.</ref> The woman is thus victorious over Mephistopheles, who had insisted at Faust's death that he would be consigned to "The Eternal Empty".

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 |quote  = Goethe's ''Faust'' is a genuinely classical production, but the idea is a historical idea, and hence every notable historical era will have its own ''Faust.''
 |source = [[Søren Kierkegaard|&emsp; — Kierkegaard]]<ref>{{cite book |first=S. |last=Kierkegaard |author-link=Søren Kierkegaard |title=Either / Or: Immediate stages of the erotic |title-link=Either/Or (Kierkegaard book)}}</ref>
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